LOVE AND OTHER SIDE EFFECTS – Deidra Duncan
Mira
ISBN: 978-1335001184
April 14, 2026
Romantic Comedy

Corpus Christi, Texas – Present Day

Asher Foley and Jocelyn “Joss” Maddox are the best of buds and often work together in the OB-GYN unit at the hospital. He’s a doctor, and she’s the resident anesthetist. They have kept things in the “friend zone,” despite the fact that they are like an old married couple. Asher even asks Joss to accompany him to a wedding in Florida, where his old girlfriend will marry a friend of his. She would be his “cover story” when people wonder if he’s over his ex. After a grueling procedure where he almost lost a patient, something changed between the two. Suddenly, Asher is aware of Joss. Is an attraction brewing? It leads to an unexpected kiss that both immediately regret. Will the upcoming trip to Florida cause even more problems?

Joss has lost a lot of people whom she loved. Her parents died in Hurricane Katrina. Her brother overdosed. The first man she truly loved died in a car accident. These losses have shaped her. She has an inherent fear of losing people she might love, so she scratches the itch by having one-night stands with random men. Of course, this means she has a reputation, though it doesn’t seem to bother Asher. She couldn’t have sex with him because he takes commitment seriously. That is not her cup of tea. 

Asher has a fear of not being taken seriously. He has a reputation for being laid back and too easy. Deep down, he is filled with insecurities. He also has the ladies hovering around him because he’s handsome, but he only has eyes for one woman: Joss. Yet, Asher doesn’t want to break up their friendship and sleep with her, and she continues to keep him at arm’s length. He knows about her fear of hurricanes, so he is there for her as support and comfort whenever Corpus Christi has strong storms. After their unexpected kiss, he feels guilty. Has he lost Joss? She acts like nothing has changed between them, but are things still the same? Then he learns that they will be sharing a suite in Florida. With his attraction for her building, is he about to play with fire?

LOVE AND OTHER SIDE EFFECTS is one of those cute and funny tales that keep you entertained. There are a lot of hijinks going on, both between our couple and the other employees at the hospital, such as pranks being played. Because they work together in life and death situations, they tend to decompress around each other at parties, etc. Joss and Asher are part of the group, and they have mutual friends through work. Of course, they get a lot of teasing about whether they should take the friendship to the relationship level. Both deny that they want things to change. Or do they?

Readers will enjoy the bantering and laugh at the antics that happen inside delivery rooms. Let’s just say that it is never a dull moment. LOVE AND OTHER SIDE EFFECTS will keep you laughing and make you cry as you fall in love with Asher and Joss. You will soon be rooting for them to break the friend zone and make it a love match. Don’t miss this enjoyable tale. 

Patti Fischer